c4countdown

Whilst most of us still have time on our hands.
What ideas would you like to see invented ?
I have done a lot of cycling and have had a sore bottom from the seat.
Why can't somebody devise a seat that has room for your buttocks to sit on with a seat that crosses the frame of the bike so the seat pole would not be straight but just out

My other idea for an invention has already been done
A pair of night blindfolds with built in Bluetooth headphones

There must be loads of stuff for this thread. Obviously the peshwari paratha came to fruition eventually. But there's also the garlic bhaji - like an onion bhaji but, well, garlic. Because as we all know, onion is the poor man's garlic, and if onion bhajis are that good, one can only imagine how good a garlic bhaji would be.

Having used public transport with a compulsory mask on a suitable way of eating and drinking with a mask on needs to be invented.

For and hose with young children it's a feff to cool their dinners down at mealtimes , usually fanning a newspaper works
But as most people don't buy newspapers now my idea is to have a dome over the dish and a device to create a vacuum inside the dome thus cooling the food
Or a can of co2 maybe

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:40 am Having used public transport with a compulsory mask on a suitable way of eating and drinking with a mask on needs to be invented.

I would have said someone should invent something to prevent people eating and drinking on public transport, but it looks as if Chinese scientists have already done so.

David Williams wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:22 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:40 am Having used public transport with a compulsory mask on a suitable way of eating and drinking with a mask on needs to be invented.

I would have said someone should invent something to prevent people eating and drinking on public transport, but it looks as if Chinese scientists have already done so.

I don't think they needed to since they had already invented something to stop people eating at all.

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:44 am For and hose with young children it's a feff to cool their dinners down at mealtimes , usually fanning a newspaper works
But as most people don't buy newspapers now my idea is to have a dome over the dish and a device to create a vacuum inside the dome thus cooling the food
Or a can of co2 maybe

You use a watch, and get dinner ready 5 minutes earlier!

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 8:06 am

David Williams wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:22 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:40 am Having used public transport with a compulsory mask on a suitable way of eating and drinking with a mask on needs to be invented.

I would have said someone should invent something to prevent people eating and drinking on public transport, but it looks as if Chinese scientists have already done so.

I don't think they needed to since they had already invented something to stop people eating at all.

Way ahead of you.

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 10:38 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:44 am For and hose with young children it's a feff to cool their dinners down at mealtimes , usually fanning a newspaper works
But as most people don't buy newspapers now my idea is to have a dome over the dish and a device to create a vacuum inside the dome thus cooling the food
Or a can of co2 maybe

You use a watch, and get dinner ready 5 minutes earlier!

5 minutes for a hungry child is a lifetime.
Also I'm not keen on eating my food if it's not piping hot

When my kids were young it was usually eating in restaurants that was the biggest problem.
Although I wasn't strict on them not using their fingers.

David Williams wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 11:32 am Way ahead of you.

That's good work.

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 11:55 am

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 10:38 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:44 am For and hose with young children it's a feff to cool their dinners down at mealtimes , usually fanning a newspaper works
But as most people don't buy newspapers now my idea is to have a dome over the dish and a device to create a vacuum inside the dome thus cooling the food
Or a can of co2 maybe

You use a watch, and get dinner ready 5 minutes earlier!

5 minutes for a hungry child is a lifetime.
Also I'm not keen on eating my food if it's not piping hot

When my kids were young it was usually eating in restaurants that was the biggest problem.
Although I wasn't strict on them not using their fingers.

No, this won't do as a response. You get their dinner ready five minutes earlier, but don't actually call them for dinner! So the five minutes is irrelevant to them!

And what is "piping hot"? What's that in degrees Centigrade, for example? If it's too hot to eat, it's too hot to eat. If it's going to burn a child's mouth, it's likely it's going to burn yours too.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 3:11 pm

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 11:55 am

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 10:38 am
You use a watch, and get dinner ready 5 minutes earlier!

5 minutes for a hungry child is a lifetime.
Also I'm not keen on eating my food if it's not piping hot

When my kids were young it was usually eating in restaurants that was the biggest problem.
Although I wasn't strict on them not using their fingers.

No, this won't do as a response. You get their dinner ready five minutes earlier, but don't actually call them for dinner! So the five minutes is irrelevant to them!

And what is "piping hot"? What's that in degrees Centigrade, for example? If it's too hot to eat, it's too hot to eat. If it's going to burn a child's mouth, it's likely it's going to burn yours too.

Spoken like someone who doesn't have children.
If you wait five minutes ( if that is even long enough ) then your dinner will be too cool to enjoy .
There is a reasonable temperature difference between what can be eaten with your fingers versus utensils
Maybe a scarifice worth making for your child , but if you could cool it down quickly then everyone is happy

I adapted a co2 aerosol used for cleaning dust of electronic circuits which did the trick.
But I liked the dome vacuum idea more as a concept

Would a vacuum even work? Presumably you lose the cooling effect of convection, and conduction and radiation remain the same. But the lower pressure will cause evaporation. I would have thought putting it in the freezer would be more effective.

David Williams wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 11:32 pm Would a vacuum even work? Presumably you lose the cooling effect of convection, and conduction and radiation remain the same. But the lower pressure will cause evaporation. I would have thought putting it in the freezer would be more effective.

I wish Brainiacs was still on TV it would be a good question to send in

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 3:41 pm There is a reasonable temperature difference between what can be eaten with your fingers versus utensils

This is what I would dispute. It's all about what's too hot to put in your mouth. Your mouth is more sensitive than your hands to overly hot food. No-one find themselves in a situation where their food is cool enough to eat but too hot to pick up. It's not a thing.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Wed Jun 17, 2020 9:25 pm

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 3:41 pm There is a reasonable temperature difference between what can be eaten with your fingers versus utensils

This is what I would dispute. It's all about what's too hot to put in your mouth. Your mouth is more sensitive than your hands to overly hot food. No-one find themselves in a situation where their food is cool enough to eat but too hot to pick up. It's not a thing.

Really.
Make yourself a bowl of soup and take a sip whilst it's piping hot , then put your finger in it.
It's the same with tea or coffee.

Interestingly although the mouth is less sensitive to heat than your hands ( Google it ) it's not the same with your lips

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:27 am

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Wed Jun 17, 2020 9:25 pm

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Jun 16, 2020 3:41 pm There is a reasonable temperature difference between what can be eaten with your fingers versus utensils

This is what I would dispute. It's all about what's too hot to put in your mouth. Your mouth is more sensitive than your hands to overly hot food. No-one find themselves in a situation where their food is cool enough to eat but too hot to pick up. It's not a thing.

Make yourself a bowl of soup and take a sip whilst it's piping hot , then put your finger in it.
It's the same with tea or coffee.

I told Mark off for his shit pizza comment, and I'll tell you off for your shit soup comment. The act of getting the soup out, spreading it thin over a spoon, moving it through the air, over time... makes it completely incomparable to sticking your finger in a complete bowl of soup maintaining its heat from the inside without having its surface area compromised.

Are we having this conversation in two threads? I really am tired.

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:56 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:27 am

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Wed Jun 17, 2020 9:25 pm
This is what I would dispute. It's all about what's too hot to put in your mouth. Your mouth is more sensitive than your hands to overly hot food. No-one find themselves in a situation where their food is cool enough to eat but too hot to pick up. It's not a thing.

Make yourself a bowl of soup and take a sip whilst it's piping hot , then put your finger in it.
It's the same with tea or coffee.

I told Mark off for his shit pizza comment, and I'll tell you off for your shit soup comment. The act of getting the soup out, spreading it thin over a spoon, moving it through the air, over time... makes it completely incomparable to sticking your finger in a complete bowl of soup maintaining its heat from the inside without having its surface area compromised.

Are we having this conversation in two threads? I really am tired.

To add further interest to the debate I have a co worker who operates a dishwasher and he maintains that his hands at least can hold food that would burn his tongue.

There is a funny episode of Curb that I watched in which Larry David dipped his nose in his coffee to illustrate his coffee was not hot enough.

Gevin's comments should be taken with a pinch of salt as he doesn't drink hot beverages

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:08 am

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:56 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:27 am
Make yourself a bowl of soup and take a sip whilst it's piping hot , then put your finger in it.
It's the same with tea or coffee.

I told Mark off for his shit pizza comment, and I'll tell you off for your shit soup comment. The act of getting the soup out, spreading it thin over a spoon, moving it through the air, over time... makes it completely incomparable to sticking your finger in a complete bowl of soup maintaining its heat from the inside without having its surface area compromised.

Are we having this conversation in two threads? I really am tired.

There is a funny episode of Curb

Lost me at this point.

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:08 am Gevin's comments should be taken with a pinch of salt as he doesn't drink hot beverages

I would say with a teaspoon of salt, in case it's too hot to touch with your fingers. You should be fine to pick the salt up directly with your mouth though.

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:13 am

Mark James wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 7:10 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 5:57 am Gevin : food is hotter to the touch than to the mouth

How come I can comfortably hold a slice of pizza in my hand yet it burns my mouth when I try to take a bite?

Maybe my mouth is conditioned to accept hotter foods or maybe your hands are instead.
Or more likely you hold the crust ( cooler than the molten cheese no doubt ) but don't put the crust in your mouth.
Try holding the apex of the segment and come back to me.
After you've been to the burns unit obviously

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:49 am Yeah I'm not sure if Marc is totally wrong or not (my original inclination was that he is) but definitely the pizza example is terrible and Meakin has rightfully destroyed you on it.

As I say, generally I was agreeing with you and Gevin that mouths are far more sensitive to fingers - and whilst maybe this is true perhaps there is something in a "dry skin vs wet saliva" line of thinking. I dunno, I didn't get much sleep.

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:56 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:27 am Make yourself a bowl of soup and take a sip whilst it's piping hot , then put your finger in it.
It's the same with tea or coffee.

I told Mark off for his shit pizza comment, and I'll tell you off for your shit soup comment. The act of getting the soup out, spreading it thin over a spoon, moving it through the air, over time... makes it completely incomparable to sticking your finger in a complete bowl of soup maintaining its heat from the inside without having its surface area compromised.

Are we having this conversation in two threads? I really am tired.

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:08 am Gevin's comments should be taken with a pinch of salt as he doesn't drink hot beverages

This has become a bit of a mess since we ended up in two threads as Matt said. But the above (from both threads) is what I'm generally replying to.

First of all, this was originally about eating food with your fingers vs cutlery, and somehow Marc thought it was acceptable to use soup and hot drinks as examples to make his case. It's about food you pick up, so these examples are ridiculous.

Secondly, the pizza comment - I don't think it was that bad. I mean sure, some bits of the pizza are hotter than others, but I think this would be the case to some extent with most foods. I mean, certainly inside vs outside. The outside will generally cool quickly enough for you to hold it, but then it still might be too hot to eat.

There is the thing that your mouth is wet so it should be able to deal with hotter food than your hands (as Matt mentioned), but evidence trumps theory. I mean, it might be more about inside vs outside rather than sensitivity of the mouth but it's all irrelevant really because the bottom line is that there is food that you can pick up but not eat, but no food that you can eat but not pick up. So Marc's premise was flawed from the start.

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:43 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:08 am There is a funny episode of Curb

Lost me at this point.

Wow - I thought you were a decent guy, Ian. How wrong I was.

I must be a freak of nature
If I buy an open bag of chips from a chippy
I can guarantee they are too hot to hold but in my mouth they are not .
The saliva is a factor in sure of that .
Different parts of the body can be more sensitive to heat
A baby's bottle is deemed too hot if it feels warm to your arm.
Similarly you place your elbow in the bath to gage the temperature.

It may be the case that stuff is hotter to fingers then your mouth but if I handle a hot chip say, and it's too hot to pick up then I'll drop it. I'm not going to continue bringing it to my mouth to test. I'm happy to believe there is a difference in temperature but how many degrees can the difference really be. I just can't see it being comfortable for one but not the other. If it's too hot for my fingers I'm going to assume it's too hot for my mouth.

You're wrong about pizza being like other foods Gevin. I think "hot cheese and sauce sliding unexpectedly off a pizza" and "hot filling bursting out from biting into a pop tart" are literally the two go-to examples of shocking food-based burning.

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:33 pm You're wrong about pizza being like other foods Gevin. I think "hot cheese and sauce sliding unexpectedly off a pizza" and "hot filling bursting out from biting into a pop tart" are literally the two go-to examples of shocking food-based burning.

OK but let's not exaggerate. No-one has gone to hospital because some of their pizza has slid onto their hand*, whereas a hot filling becoming revealed in your mouth or after you've swallowed it is actually dangerous.

*Well I dunno - they might have done. But this is not something I would consider hazardous or something to warn people about.

Why is the other thread named "Joke Items" and not "Invention scorner"?

Graeme Cole wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:09 pm Why is the other thread named "Joke Items" and not "Invention scorner"?

That's pretty good. Perhaps it's worth considering.

Graeme Cole wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:09 pm Why is the other thread named "Joke Items" and not "Invention scorner"?

Should this be in the 'questions you've always wanted answering' thread?

Are all the threads merging into one now? <- should that question be in the Questions you've always wanted answering thread? I'm confused.

As for the food heat in hand/mouth thing, I think a big part of it is whether or not the food is steaming hot. If it is and you hold it on your hand, you're just dealing with the hey of the surface of the food. But if you put it in your mouth, the steam rises off it and burns the roof of your mouth.

It seems another idea of mine is already in existence.
Cycling undershorts with a padded seat.
I wish I had known 2 weeks ago as I spent £30 on a seat cover that I have to constantly take off for fear of it getting stolen

a food in the hand is worth two in the mouth

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 6:06 pm

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:43 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:08 am There is a funny episode of Curb

Lost me at this point.

Wow - I thought you were a decent guy, Ian. How wrong I was.

Some people have made this mistake over the years.

"Irascible man grumbles at world" is about as funny a basis for our c4c posts as it is for a telly series. Probably more so to be honest, I spend a lot more time reading this forum.

Something that prevents drawstrings being lost in waistbands.

Yes, I know a knot helps, but only until the strain against the hole causes the fabric to give, then we're back to square one with retrieval being hindered by the presence of a knot catching on the fabric.

How many human hours, that could have been constructively spend on useful endeavours, have been wasted attempting to find the end of a drawstring?

Fiona T wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2020 8:54 am Something that prevents drawstrings being lost in waistbands.

Yes, I know a knot helps, but only until the strain against the hole causes the fabric to give, then we're back to square one with retrieval being hindered by the presence of a knot catching on the fabric.

How many human hours, that could have been constructively spend on useful endeavours, have been wasted attempting to find the end of a drawstring?

If drawstrings had a toggle on each end then problem solved

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2020 11:09 am

Fiona T wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2020 8:54 am Something that prevents drawstrings being lost in waistbands.

Yes, I know a knot helps, but only until the strain against the hole causes the fabric to give, then we're back to square one with retrieval being hindered by the presence of a knot catching on the fabric.

How many human hours, that could have been constructively spend on useful endeavours, have been wasted attempting to find the end of a drawstring?

If drawstrings had a toggle on each end then problem solved

And a metal ring to stop the hole stretching and allowing it through.

Does the world need drawstrings? You normally seem to get them with elasticated waistbands but isn't the whole point of being elasticated that it stretches to the size you want? Whereas non-elasticated things (like the trousers I'm wearing right now) don't have a drawstring and if they can get away with it then elasticated things definitely can.

A good point. Most drawstrings seem to come with sportswear. Is there any reason why elastic wouldn't do the job...

Fiona T wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:47 pm A good point. Most drawstrings seem to come with sportswear. Is there any reason why elastic wouldn't do the job...

I have a pair of trackie-bottoms that I mooch around in quite often (culotte-style, I'm not a complete oik; do these even exist any more?), and if I have my phone in my pocket, the elastic isn't strong enough to hold them up - the string broke ages ago.

"phone" casual brag

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:54 am "phone" casual brag

mucky pup

Some kind of app that tells you if something is vegan friendly by scanning the bar code rather than having to scan the ingredients as not all packaging has the vegan symbol

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 4:03 pm Some kind of app that tells you if something is vegan friendly by scanning the bar code rather than having to scan the ingredients as not all packaging has the vegan symbol

Apps like this do exist but because there are billions of products the database will never be big enough to have widespread coverage.

The symbol of a vegan-approval body is helpful but it's really not too hard to scan the ingredients. For most things it's quite obvious if they have meat in them or not, so all you're really scanning for is milk or eggs, which are allergens so will be in bold on the ingredient list.

If you buy sweets and stuff then I suppose you need to look out for gelatine, which may not be obvious. And if you're particularly strict about it and don't allow certain E numbers then you'd have to check for them too, although if that's the case I would have thought it's not too tricky to memorise a small list of E numbers you don't want. Plus nearly everything says 'suitable for vegetarians' it it is anyway, so that + no milk or eggs means it's vegan. You don't need a logo to tell you that.

+Honey

Callum Todd wrote: ↑Tue Jul 21, 2020 4:42 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 4:03 pm Some kind of app that tells you if something is vegan friendly by scanning the bar code rather than having to scan the ingredients as not all packaging has the vegan symbol

Apps like this do exist but because there are billions of products the database will never be big enough to have widespread coverage.

The symbol of a vegan-approval body is helpful but it's really not too hard to scan the ingredients. For most things it's quite obvious if they have meat in them or not, so all you're really scanning for is milk or eggs, which are allergens so will be in bold on the ingredient list.

If you buy sweets and stuff then I suppose you need to look out for gelatine, which may not be obvious. And if you're particularly strict about it and don't allow certain E numbers then you'd have to check for them too, although if that's the case I would have thought it's not too tricky to memorise a small list of E numbers you don't want. Plus nearly everything says 'suitable for vegetarians' it it is anyway, so that + no milk or eggs means it's vegan. You don't need a logo to tell you that.

I appreciate the information is there if you look hard enough but not all manufacturers use the suitable for vegans symbol and during the current times and with my eyesight ....scanning a barcode is quicker than squinting to read ingredients.
My fitness Pal is the best app so far

Have you gone vegan now then Marc?

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:57 am Have you gone vegan now then Marc?

No , but I am a vegetarian but a lot of what I eat is vegan.
I am unable to give up eggs , but I do only eat free range.
Also not keen on Vegan Cheese so , yes I still eat dairy.
Been doing this since January.
Certainly feel healthier and finally I'm losing weight now I've cut down on pasta and pizzas

Marmite granules

Horse horns.

We all know how unfortunate it is that horse riders cannot be warned about approaching dangers because car horns scare their horses. This makes the road a very dangerous place for them and their horses. So in this revolutionary new idea every horse rider would have to wear a pair of special headphones that are connected to a central network when they're riding on the road. Every car is fitted with two horns - the usual one and the special horse horn, which is connetced up to the network. The horse horn is silent to casual observers but to anyone in the vicinity wearing the special headphones it sounds like a normal horn blaring. It is now perfectly safe, and indeed to be encouraged, for drivers to let horse riders know that they are approaching. Horse riders everywhere can rejoice in their newly found safety!

I don't think I'll be posting much in future on here because I'll be far too busy spending my millions from this idea.

I read the first line of your post and thought you were promising the invention of the unicorn.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 5:06 pm Horse horns.

We all know how unfortunate it is that horse riders cannot be warned about approaching dangers because car horns scare their horses. This makes the road a very dangerous place for them and their horses. So in this revolutionary new idea every horse rider would have to wear a pair of special headphones that are connected to a central network when they're riding on the road. Every car is fitted with two horns - the usual one and the special horse horn, which is connetced up to the network. The horse horn is silent to casual observers but to anyone in the vicinity wearing the special headphones it sounds like a normal horn blaring. It is now perfectly safe, and indeed to be encouraged, for drivers to let horse riders know that they are approaching. Horse riders everywhere can rejoice in their newly found safety!

I don't think I'll be posting much in future on here because I'll be far too busy spending my millions from this idea.

Have they changed your medication?

You know you get attachments for garden hoses where you squeeze the thing to get the water to come out? Like this:



Like that but in showers, so that the water doesn't automatically constantly flow out. It would be a good way of saving water. You don't necessarily need a constant flow of water while you're cleaning yourself. Rinse before and after.